Man Gets 30 Years to Life for Multiple Rape Charges

A man found guilty of raping multiple women, one of whom was attacked and raped in a mall bathroom stall, was sentenced to 30 years to life in state prison on Friday.

Raul Antonio Yescas

Raul Antonio Yescas, III, 25, was found guilty in July 2014 of multiple rapes as well as a special allegation that the rapes were committed on multiple victims, according to a statement from the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.

The crimes stemmed from two separate incidents, the first of which occurred one night in late 2010, when Yescas raped an 18-year-old female acquaintance, a Santa Barbara County resident, inside her car that was parked in a downtown city parking lot.

Another incident occurred in early 2011, during the midmorning hours, when Yescas broke into a bathroom stall in the women's bathroom of the upper level of the Paseo Nuevo Mall and raped a 19-year-old woman inside the stall.

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley commended the Santa Barbara Police Department and the Department of Justice Criminal Lab in Goleta for their work in investigating, analyzing evidence and assisting Deputy District Attorney Ben Ladinig in the prosecution of the "heinous" crimes.

Dudley also stated that the women should be commended for their bravery "in making sure that this sexual predator can no longer endanger women."

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